Fedele and Vittorio are two brothers who married the daughters of a rich entrepreneur, Siniscalco. But while Fedele is an irreproachable husband, Vittorio cheats on his wife and accumulates gambling debts, until one day his car is found at the bottom of a lake and he is left for dead. Six years later, however, the extraordinary news arrives: Vittorio is alive and is in Cuba, where he lives by scamming tourists. Fedele then leaves with the intention of bringing him back to his family.

Inside Bar Sport, a bar on the outskirts of Bologna managed by the histrionic Onassis, the adventures of regulars and casual patrons unfold. Searching for a pinball machine or a payphone, they encounter the omnipresent "technician," so called for his passion for soccer and always ready to chat or moderate other people's discussions. Thus, the ordeals of the handyman Bovinelli as he deals with the disasters at Muzzi's house, the diary of a provincial playboy's conquests, the sex life of the fiery prostitute Elvira, the search for a good restaurant during a dazed motorcycle trip with Cocosecco, or a trip to see Bologna play with the lawyer Della Lana become epic tales of tragicomic exploits.

In Manhattan, the aspirant writer Jabez Stone is a complete loser: he is not able to sell his novels, he lives in a lousy apartment and he does not have success with women. When one of his friends Julius Jenson sells his novel for US$ 190,000.00 to an editor, Jabez fells envy and promises to sell his soul to the devil for success and accidentally kills a woman with his typing machine. The Devil knocks on his door, fixes the situation and seals a contract with Jabez. His low quality novels have bad reviews but become best-sellers; Jabez enriches; has success with women, but has no time for his friends. Jabez meets with the publisher Daniel Webster who offers him a chance to break the contract with the devil.